HyperPics: Beyond the UI

New AutoCAD Books on the Way to a Shelf (or a Web Site) Near You

I have recently finished up the revision to the AutoCAD book that I had originally co-authored back in 2006 which was based on AutoCAD 2007 and AutoCAD LT 2007 at that time.  The revision to the book is entitled AutoCAD 2009 and AutoCAD LT 2009 All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies book and should be out on store shelves or will be available for purchase from your favorite online purchasing site such as Amazon.com or BN.com in the next week.  The new book weighs in at 792 pages of AutoCAD goodness, up a bit from the previous edition when it comes to print.

However, one of the things that was done with this edition instead of trying to stuff all the new content in between the covers and tossing out existing content to make room for the new content, a portion of the book has been moved to downloadable content.  The content that was mainly moved to downloadable content is in the area of customization and programming AutoCAD.  To learn more about the AutoCAD 2009 and AutoCAD LT 2009 All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies book, click the URL below.

http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470243783.html

In addition to the book that I have recently finished authoring, I have also had the privilege once again to read through the latest edition of the AutoCAD for Dummies series, AutoCAD 2009 for Dummies which is authored by David Byrnes'.  The AutoCAD 2009 for Dummies book is a much more compact version of the AutoCAD 2009 and AutoCAD LT 2009 All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies book.

The AutoCAD 2009 for Dummies book focuses on many of the key fundamentals of AutoCAD, whereas the AutoCAD 2009 and AutoCAD LT 2009 All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies book covers the fundamentals of AutoCAD and leads into much more advanced topics like customization and programming of AutoCAD.  To learn more about the AutoCAD 2009 for Dummies book, click the URL below.

http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470229772.html

There are other AutoCAD books on their way and I will cover some of them later when it gets closer to their publish dates.

Sincerely,
  Lee

Blog Roundup

What happens when you take "1 Part CAD Site" and mix it (not shake it) with "1 Part AutoCAD RSS Feed Aggregator" or for those that know AutoLISP (+ "CAD Site" "AutoCAD RSS Feed Aggregator")?  I'm not sure, but if it was possible to derive a solution from the formula I am sure you would get something close to CADtutor.net.  While I have often visited CADtutor.net it wasn't until recently that I discovered that the site was aggregating many of the commonly visited AutoCAD and CAD related blogs in the industry.  It is a great way to keep up to date on what is happening in the industry as well as learn new tips and tricks about AutoCAD and other programs that you might use.  The link to the AutoCAD RSS Feed page on CADTutor.net is below:

http://www.cadtutor.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=38

Michael's Corner is also a great section of CADtutor.net to visit as well.  He has been writing a monthly column on various aspects of AutoCAD since 2003, with the exception of January of 2008 when he spent a few weeks away on vacation when I filled in for him.  Michael is a great guy and is always willing to help AutoCAD users when he can.

Sincerely,
  Lee

Cue the Cue Cards, Enter Stage Left

AutoCAD 2009 is shipping with a new in-the-box item referred to as "Cue Cards".  Cue Cards provide information about new features that ship with the product and they come in two different versions: hardcopy and electronic.  The hardcopy version of a Cue Card is about the same size as a 5x7 picture, while the electronic version can be viewed by opening the file acad_cue_cards.pdf in Adobe Acrobat Reader or another viewer that allows you to view PDF files. 

The file acad_cue_cards.pdf can be found in the Newfeatures folder under the Help folder of AutoCAD's install folder (<drive>:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2009\Help\newfeatures\).  Information found on a Cue Card about a feature includes the following:

• Brief description of what the feature is
• Illustrations that show the feature
• Tips
• Key features
• Related commands
• Link to related tutorials

If you want additional hardcopies of the Cue Cards, you can order additional sets by going to autodeskdocandmedia.com/.

Sincerely,
  Lee

Learning About the New Features in AutoCAD 2009

Whether you have recently upgraded to AutoCAD 2009 or are on the process of deciding to upgrade or not, you might find the following links of interest:

New Features Workshop (NFW) - The New Features Workshop is one of the first screens that you encounter when you first install AutoCAD, but often it gets overlooked and turned off right away.  If you have installed AutoCAD 2009, you can access the NFW by doing the following:

1. Press F1 while in AutoCAD.
2. In the AutoCAD 2009 Help window, on the right pane, click the New Features Workshop link under the General Information section.
3. If prompted with a message box to click Yes or No, click Yes.  The message warns you that the ActiveX control might be unsafe.  The ActiveX control that is trying to be displayed on the page for the NFW is Adobe's Flash plug-in.  Clicking No will cause the NFW to not launch.

If you do not have AutoCAD 2009 installed yet, it's a little hard to access the NFW from inside of AutoCAD.  If you do not have access to the NFW because AutoCAD is not installed, you can view the web based version on autodesk.com by clicking the following URL and then clicking on the New Features Workshop link.

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=8446323

Tutorials - Whenever a new feature is introduced, you often don't have time to explore the feature right away or fully understand how you might go about using a new feature.  Tutorials can help explain how to use a feature in a step-by-step approach.  There are currently 19 tutorials on autodesk.com that apply to AutoCAD 2009.  These tutorials cover many of the new features that have been introduced with this release, such as the ribbon, ViewCube, SteeringWheels, Action Recorder and many others.  To access the tutorial site, click the following URL (you do not need AutoCAD 2009 to view the tutorials but will need AutoCAD 2009 to complete them though).

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=10947339&linkID=9240615

Sincerely,
  Lee

New Look and Icons in AutoCAD 2009

As you might already be aware, there is a new release of AutoCAD on the loose.  There are many new and exciting features that AutoCAD 2009 has to offer, and the first major change that you will notice with the release is the way the user interface looks.  AutoCAD 2009 sports a completely overhauled front end and with this change comes a new set of icons.  Many of the icons have not been changed dramatically, but some have more than others and there are many new ones as well. 

With the introduction of new commands and a new look in AutoCAD 2009, you might find that there are some icons that you have never seen before.  The document acad_new_icons.pdf contains a listing of many of the new icons that are used for commands and it can be found in the Help\newfeatures folder under your AutoCAD 2009 install folder.  By default the AutoCAD 2009 install folder is located at <drive>:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2009.

Sincerely,
  Lee

I'm back... Really never left, but I'm back to posting

Wow, I'm just amazed at myself how long I have neglected my blog.  While there has not been a week that hasn't gone by that I haven't thought about blogging, I just haven't found the time to do it between authoring and my daily workload.  I will be trying my best to get back into the swing of things, this month.  As some of you might have been wondering, no I have not completely vanished as I have been simply busy with my new job that I started back in November of 2007.

The rumors are true, I have gone to work for Autodesk and work on the AutoCAD User Assistance team as a Technical Writer.  Well time to get to work, but I will be getting my next posting up soon though.  It will be much sooner than later.

Sincerely,
  Lee

AutoCAD Books Coming Soon to a Store (or Web Site) Near You

Seems just like yesterday when I was thinking about starting to work on my AutoCAD 2008 content for my website, but that was actually abut 2+ months ago.  I guess I have a little bit of catching up to do, now that my most recent ambitious project is done, fingers crossed it is time for some blogging once again.  Most of you I am sure are aware of that AutoCAD 2008 has shipped and that was a couple of months ago already.  With each new release comes a variety of new features and updates, and with updates there are bound to be AutoCAD books aplenty to help you learn about the new features.  Below are some of the books that I have had the pleasure of reading through due to being the Technical Editor on the project or authoring some if not all of the content for.

AutoCAD 2008 3D Modeling Workbook For Dummies
Author: Lee Ambrosius

The AutoCAD 2008 3D Modeling Workbook focuses on the use of the 3D modeling features of AutoCAD 2008.  You learn how to create and modify 3D solid, wireframe, and surface models.  As you work with the different modeling techniques you learn about to use many of the different features through 110+ exercises hat show both procedural and workflow driven approaches to harnessing the 3D modeling features in AutoCAD.  Along with learning to model in 3D, you learn how to create renderings by applying materials and adding user-defined lights to your models.

The book ships with a DVD that contains all the exercise files from the book and includes 69 videos with audio narration of many of the exercises located in the book.  So if you get stuck on trying to figuring out one of the exercises, you can watch the video to help you progress further with learning 3D modeling in AutoCAD.  One of the things that For Dummies books try and stray a way from is getting too technical at times, but this book offers a good balance of technical information when appropriate.  I would recommend this book for new and existing users that want to learn about the many exciting 3D modeling features that AutoCAD has to offer. 

AutoCAD 2008 For Dummies
Author: David Byrnes

This book makes a great companion to AutoCAD as it focuses on the features that matter the most and stays clear of some of the technical heavy information that some books offer (not that is a bad thing, its just not for everyone); whether you are a new or existing user of AutoCAD.  I would recommend the For Dummies books if you are new to AutoCAD or a feature like 3D modeling.

AutoCAD 2008 and AutoCAD LT 2008 Bible
Author: Ellen Finkelstein

The AutoCAD Bible books are usually right there at the top of the list when it comes to AutoCAD books; this is because they offer so much content and are great reference books that you can go back to overtime.  If you are an experienced user of AutoCAD and are looking to polish your skills or want to learn more about features that have been in AutoCAD for a number of years or have just been recently introduced, I would recommend this book.  This book does pack in the technical information and therefore might not be for everyone; if you want lighter reading material I would recommend the For Dummies series.

AutoCAD 2008 Instructor
Author: James Leach

Like the AutoCAD Bible, this book offers a lot of information across all the features that are found in AutoCAD.  The primary target audience of this book are students that are attending college or a university.  I like this book for those that are looking for a way to get started with AutoCAD and don't have the time to attend a class, someone that likes to be self-taught.  The reason for this is that it works you through the features and commends that you will be primarily be using to draft in AutoCAD and then it hooks back around and drags in more of the advanced features.  I would recommend this book to those that are self-starting and like being self-taught.

Sincerely,
  Lee

3ds max Training with the Great Ted Boardman

Got an itch to learn a new skill this year?  Maybe you want to add some glitz and dazzle to your hidden line drawings that you create in AutoCAD.  Well if you want to get more out your 3D models, 3ds max or Autodesk Viz might be the right solutions for you.  Sure AutoCAD 2007 and 2008 have vastly improved rendering facilities under their hoods, but they don't allow you to animate individual objects or to create a compelling animation to show your clients.

To learn more about up coming opportunities to learn Ted Boardman contact James Murphy (murph@virtualpartners.com) for upcoming dates and times.  (The next set of classes is right around the corner March 29-31).  Ted teaches classes in the Green Bay, WI area.  I have taken several of Ted's classes in Green Bay and at Autodesk University.  He is one of the best speakers that I know, and he knows his stuff when it comes to 3ds max and Viz.

Sincerely,
  Lee

Adding the Layout Name via Fields to a Title Block

From time to time I have had users asking how to place the layout name in their title block because they don't use Sheet Sets, or they want to added it to a multiline text (Mtext) object to use as part of a plot stamp.  The layout name can be obtained using the System Variable field type with the system variable name CTAB.  CTAB holds the current layout tab name, whether it is a model or paper space layout.  This very question just came up again recently by Heidi Hewett.  I shared my solution with Heidi and she has posted a blog article on this very topic called Good Question: Layout names and fields.  Thanks to Heidi for creating the posting, and sharing all here other wonderful information on sheet sets and fields through her blog.  Heidi's blog is AutoCAD Insider: Taking CAD concepts to the next level.

Sincerely,
  Lee

Autodesk Design Review is Now Free

Have you stayed away from using Autodesk Design Review for your extended team because of the cost?  Well in the world of DWF and collaboration things just got a little bit better.  Autodesk is now offering Autodesk Design Review for free which allows you to view DWG, DEXF, and DWF files from AutoCAD 2007 for the low cost of FREE, yes I typed FREE. Autodesk Design Review offers many benefits over just being able to open DWG and DXF files, like Markups and viewing animated assembly instructions.  To learn more about this exciting offer, head on over the Shaan Hurley's blog Between the Lines.

Sincerely,
  Lee